By Ed Pierce
Shane Taylor is selfless in his dedication to protecting others and saving others through his work.
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| Shane Taylor has served as a Career Firefighter-Paramedic in Windham for more than 23 years and his duties include fire suppression, search and rescue, ventilation, pump operation and overhaul, fire prevention, life safety inspections, hazardous condition investigation, motor vehicle accident response and providing basic life support tasks during emergencies. SUBMITTED PHOTO |
And as a paramedic responding to emergency medical calls for service, Taylor provides basic life support and advanced life support tasks in emergencies as the individual situations dictate in Windham.
“Additionally, as the senior career member for the department and on my shift, I am responsible for mentoring our newer members, setting a positive example for all others on the shift, assisting the shift captain with ensuring any and all assignments, training, reports and details are completed as directed as well as assigned station maintenance and housekeeping tasks,” Taylor said.
He has served as a Career Firefighter-Paramedic in Windham for more than 23 years, starting in March 2001.
“Consistently since 1988, I have been actively engaged in Fire and EMS services, and throughout my career the most rewarding aspect of this line of work has been the sense of accomplishment achieved through service to others, especially in their most dire time of need,” he said. “The work, strength and stamina required when providing Fire and EMS services can be very demanding. Maintaining physical fitness and a healthy state of readiness can be challenging, more so as age-related issues begin to factor in. I try to do my best to stay as physically fit as I can, and over the years have made a number of lifestyle changes to do so.”
He grew up and attended public schools in Monmouth, Maine, graduating from Monmouth Academy in 1988. He started college by going to business school at University of Maine, Machias.
“Not even two weeks after starting my studies, I joined the Machias Fire Department as a volunteer with no experience at all. Before long, if I wasn't in class, I was at the fire station,” he said. “Before the end of my first unimpressive year of college, I had decided that I disliked business administration and loved the fire service. With the guidance of my Fire Chief, I applied, was accepted and transferred in the fall of 1989 to what was then Southern Maine Vocational Technical Institute where I earned my associate degree in Fire Science Technology in 1991. I earned my Basic EMT license in 1990, my Intermediate EMT license in 1993 and my Paramedic license in 1996.”
Taylor said that in the beginning of his career, securing a position in one of only a few full-time fire departments was ferociously competitive.
“Though I worked in a number of departments across the state and applied for many full-time opportunities, it was not in the cards for me until I saw an ad in the newspaper that Windham Fire-Rescue was hiring a Firefighter-Paramedic,” he said. “I was living in Auburn with my wife and our first infant daughter and was working for Lewiston-Auburn 911 full time as a dispatcher. I applied and was hired as the newest of only four full-time employees, not counting the Fire Chief, Charlie Hammond. I owe Chief Hammond a debt and unending gratitude for taking a chance on me and opening the door to what has been an amazing career.”
During his career with Windham Fire-Rescue, Taylor says he has been a part of some truly miraculous events.
“While it is difficult to quantify a career full of experiences and memories, the moment that best encapsulates why I do this work; the birth of a healthy baby in the back of my ambulance sitting on the side of the road, taking its first breath in my hands,” he said. “Makes me smile to think about it now.”
He wants the public to know being a firefighter and paramedic is not easy.
“While it is indeed physically demanding, that is by far not the toughest part of the job,” Taylor said. “Not everyone can do this job for long. It demands deep personal, emotional and ideological sacrifice beyond what most people would ever tolerate. In the realm of public safety, our universe is a reality that resembles no other. It is no exaggeration nor in any way boastful when I say plainly that it takes a very special type of person to serve a lifetime in Fire, EMS or Law Enforcement organizations. We are all reluctant heroes.” <
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